Thursday, May 29, 2025

Beebe Gallini - Begged, Borrowed and Stealed


Beebe Gallini is a band I've been writing about since 2016, so I was kind of amazed when I realized that the newly released Begged, Borrowed and Stealed is its very first studio album. Of course there was a pandemic that had a lot to do with that, but the point is that this is a very exciting release for fans of the American Midwest's #1 frat rock garage band. It's out on the iconic Soundflat Records, and it was recorded at the legendary Kay Bank Studio in Minneapolis with sound engineer Tom Herbers. 

The original concept for this project was for Beebe Gallini to record new versions of some Minnesota garage rock standards in the very same studio where these classic tracks were originally laid down back in the '60s. The band chose to record The Gestures' 1964 single "Run, Run, Run," The Accents' 1964 cover of Lonnie Mack's "Why," The High Spirits' 1966 single "I Believe," and The Kan Dells' 1965 single "Cry Girl." Some of the band's famous garage rocker friends joined in the fun, and if it had stopped there, the world would have been treated to a killer EP. But then Soundflat Records had the good sense to request a full album. The project was expanded to include some of the band's favorite covers and one of its original songs, and now here we are. Begged, Borrowed and Stealed is the frat rock/garage/soul blockbuster we've long been expecting from the one-and-only Beebe Gallini.

Begged, Borrowed and Stealed features a lineup of Miss Georgia Peach on lead vocals and guitar, Amy Larson Pearson on bass, and Travis Ramin (who also produced the album) on drums. On top of that, Keith Patterson (The Funseekers, The Spectors, The Conquerors) plays lead guitar on "Run, Run, Run" and "Why." Melanie Vammen (The Pandoras, The Muffs) plays keyboards on "I Believe." Russell Quan (The Bobbyteens, The Dukes Of Hamburg, The Countbackwurds, The Mummies, etc.) sings lead on "Cry Girl." That's an impressive cast, and the resulting album does not disappoint. I hate to sound like the cranky old man running some punk kids off his lawn, but there is something to be said for recording rock 'n' roll music in a real recording studio — in particular one with a rich history like Kay Bank Studio. Especially since a lot of people are going to be listening to this album on a vinyl record, it's fitting that it sounds like it could have been produced in the 1960s. It sounds warm and clean, but there's no unnecessary polish. This is just the sound of a great band doing great versions of great songs — with styles ranging from upbeat party rockers to garage/soul stompers to aching ballads. Highlights include Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich's 1966 single "Hold Tight!," the Wilson Pickett/Chris Kenner number "Something You Got," The Ohio Express's "Beg, Borrow and Steal," Otis Redding's "That's How Strong My Love Is," Amy Larson Pearson's original "Hey Honey," and "Kvar  I Min Bil," an obscure Swedish song written by Per Gessle of Roxette. Some of these songs have been Beebe Gallini favorites since the very beginning. It goes without saying that Miss Georgia Peach kills it on lead vocals, and the musical performances on this record are nothing short of first rate. Although this is not a live album, it does bring a live band energy. I can easily imagine the impassioned "Why" bringing down the house in a live setting. The upbeat "Hold Tight!" is a sure-fire cure for whatever might ail you. "Beg, Borrow & Steal," which the band rearranged, just feels like a party. If you didn't know "Hey Honey" was an original, you might assume it was a cover of some obscure garage rock nugget. 

Fans of the music Miss Georgia Peach and Travis Ramin make together have been happy campers this year. Three months after the release of MGP's Class Out the Ass, we get this absolute gem of a record from Beebe Gallini. Begged, Borrowed and Stealed is to garage rock what Class Out the Ass is to country. It's celebrates the Twin Cities' rock 'n' roll legacy and also re-asserts the timeless appeal of high energy, soulful garage rock. Even if you live far, far away from Minnesota, you can listen to this album and truly understand what Beebe Gallini is all about. If you feel compelled to dance around the house in your underwear or start air drumming with kitchen utensils, no one will judge you. I also love that the band went all-out with the packaging. The Cliff Mott front cover art is just so awesome, and the back cover looks so authentically like an actual record from the '60s that some people might be fooled! Whatever you have to pay for this LP is 100% worth it!

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